Prediction

What do you think conference committee means?

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Definition

Conference Committee: A temporary, ad hoc panel composed of House and Senate conferees which is formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controversial legislation.

Sentence

When the Senate and the House pass different versions of a bill, Congress must convene a conference committee to reconcile the differences.

Use Office of Management and Budget (OMB)in a good old fashioned all-American sentence.

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Definition

The Office of Management and Budget: is a presidential staff agency that serves as a clearing-house for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies. Mick Mulvaney is the current director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB is par tof the Executive Office of the President.

The Office of Management and Budget should not to be confused with the Office of Banishment and Muggles, nor should OMB be confused with OMD, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, an 80s band that the mere mention of will make your teacher blush.

Sentence

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) serves the President of the United States in overseeing the implementation of his vision across the Executive Branch.

Use Articles of Confederationin a sentence that you wouldn't be embarrassed for the FBI to investigate.

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Definition

Articles of Confederation: The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The need for a stronger Federal government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The present United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.

Sentence

The Articles of Confederation were great as long as America didn't actually have to do anything.

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think libertarianism means?

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Definition

Libertarianism: an ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life. An extreme laissez-faire political philosophy advocating only minimal state intervention in the lives of citizens. Or, as American Libertarians say in their party platform preamble, "we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others." You can take this nifty short Libertarian Quiz, but remember, the Libertarians made the quiz so it will push you in a certain direction, and they will decide how you score. Still, worth taking!

Sentence

Since Ricky Bobby was a Libertarian he supported the right of gay couples to smoke marijuana while they bought guns.

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think conservatism means?

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Definition

Conservatism: an ideology that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity. A commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation. And the holding of political views that favor free enterprise, private ownership, and socially conservative ideas.

Sentence

Ever since Junior could remember, Pee-Paw had been a strong conservative with traditional American family values. Pee-Paw ha festooned his home with Conservative sayings. His living room was home to the Thomas Jefferson quote, "That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves." The Reagan quote, "government is not the solution to our problem. Government is our problem." And the Guns N' Roses quote, "Welcome to the Jungle!" Junior, being liberal in his thinking, never did like to visit his Pee-Paw very much.

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think extradition means?

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Definition

Extradition: A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

Sentence

While imprisoned in Mexico, El Chapo Guzmán was indicted in San Diego on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges. Apparently fearing extradition, he bribed guards to help him escape in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart that was rolled out of the prison.

What do you think precedent means? Pro tip, I'm not talking about when a southerner says, "president."

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Definition

Precedent: A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding in all other federal courts. A legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations.

Sentence

The ruling in Brown v. Board set the precedent that legally, schools could no longer be segregated.

Use Congressional Budget Office (CBO)in a sentence that would impress any first-date.

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Definition

Congressional Budget Office (CBO): A nonpartisan agency of Congress that analyzes presidential budget recommendations and estimates the costs of proposed legislation. CBO provides Congress with analyses for economic and budget decisions and with estimates required for the Congressional budget process.

Sentence

The non-partisan CBO issues a score on major pieces of legislation so that legislators can know the costs of any laws they pass.

What do you think clear and present danger test means?

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Definition

Clear and Present Danger Test: An interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts. Writing for the Supreme Court in Schenck v United States, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes asked whether "the words create a clear and present danger that they will bring about substantive evils Congress has a right to prevent?"

Sentence

In handing down his ruling on freedom of speech, Justice Holmes wrote that yelling "fire!" in a crowded movie theater would create a clear and present danger.

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think filibuster means?

Use filibusterin a sentence that would impress any first-date.

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Definition

Filibuster: a strategy employed in the United States Senate, whereby a minority can delay a vote on proposed legislation by making long speeches or introducing irrelevant issues. A successful filibuster can force withdrawal of a bill. Filibusters can be ended only by cloture, which requires 60 votes.

Sentence

The Senator filibustered the environmental bill by reading Oh The Places You'll Go, for over 8 hours.

What do you think preemption means? What do you think preemption doesn't actually mean, but sounds like it could mean and that if you used the word that way, most people would think you were correct?

Use preemptionin a sentence that won't send you to timeout.

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Definition

Preemption: The right of a federal law or regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation. Under the doctrine of preemption, which is based on the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, federal law preempts state law, even when the laws conflict. Thus, a federal court may require a state to stop certain behavior it believes interferes with, or is in conflict with, federal law.

Alternative-Definition

Preemption: When you see a boy talking to your shorty at her locker and you yell out, "Hey, there's a fax in the office for a big loser from his Mama!" And while he runs off to the office to get his fax you go and talk to your shorty and BOOM!

Sentence

The new federal EPA regulations are going to preempt California's more strenuous guidelines for regulating the environment.

Prediction

What do you think Speaker of the House means?

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Definition

The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party. The Speaker is third in line to be president of the United States and is the most powerful lawmaker on Capitol Hill. Speaker of the House is the leader of the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here's a list of all 62 of the Speakers of the House since forever.

Sentence

Because they have to power to recognize members who rise to speak, reorganize House committees, name committee chairs, and appoint allies to leadership posts, the Speaker of the House has enormous power and bragging rights at any House party.

Prediction

What do you think federalism means?

Use federalism in a sentence: ("Federalism is a word," doesn't count!)

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Definition

The distribution of power in an organization (as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units (states, provinces). Here's a world map of federalism.

Sentence

Unlike America's federal government where power is shared between states and the national government, China's unitary government controls most every aspect of Chinese life from education, to taxation, to the capturing and return of underwater drones.

AP US Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think civil service means?

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Definition

Civil Service: Federal employees who work for government through a competitive, not political selection process. The permanent professional branches of a government's administration, excluding military and judicial branches and elected politicians. U.S. state and local government entities often have competitive civil service systems that are modeled on the national system, in varying degrees. According to the Office of Personnel Management, as of December 2011, there were approximately 2.79 million civil servants employed by the U.S. government.

Sentence

In the 19th century U.S. civil service positions, through the spoils system, were filled based on party loyalty and political patronage.

Use commercial speechin a sentence that might just be the best darned speech in the history of the world.

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Definition

Commercial speech: Advertisements and commercials for products and services; they receive less First Amendment protection, primarily to discourage false and misleading ads. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that “political speech”—speech that deals with issues of public interest or social concern—is entitled to full protection under the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It may be limited by government only rarely and under very limited circumstances. “Commercial speech,” however, is given much less protection. It may be regulated by the government in cases where “political speech” would be protected.

Sentence

The phrase "commercial speech" came from a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1942 when the owner of a World War I-vintage submarine sued the City of New York over a statute that forbade him to pass out flyers advertising tours of his boat. The high court labeled the flyers “purely commercial,” even though they had an editorial on one side complaining about city policies. The term “commercial speech” refers to speech—printed, broadcast or on the Internet—that advertises a product or service.

AP US Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think federal register means?

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Definition

Federal Register: An official document, published every weekday that lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies.

Sentence

If you formed a watchdog organization to monitor the growth of the federal government, the first thing you'd want to do every morning is get a big hot cup of coffee and read the federal register. But be careful not to tell anyone the plot and spoil the ending.

AP US Government and Politics

Prediction

What do you think national supremacy means?

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Definition

National Supremacy: A constitutional doctrine (Article VI, Clause 2) that whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government, the actions of the federal government prevail.

Sentence

Because of national supremacy, the federal Clean Water Act overrules Colorado's water quality statute.

Use Full Faith and Credit Clausein a sentence that you wouldn't be embarrassed for your mother to read.

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Definition

Full Faith and Credit Clause: Article IV, Section 1 of the United States Constitution, known as the "Full Faith and Credit Clause", addresses the duties that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state." For example, because of the Full Faith and Credit Clause New Hampshire must recognize a motor vehicle license from Virginia, even though everybody knows Virginians can't drive! This term is NEVER abbreviated to FF and CC because that would be silly and sounds like the initials of a really boring couple. This is also not the name of Santa's off-season accounting firm.

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Sentence

If it weren't for the Full Faith and Credit Clause, you'd have to get a married again each time you and your spouse moved to a new state. That could be very expensive and time consuming, but you'd get tons of cool wedding presents!